Northern Wisconsin Sasquatch Preserve
In 2011, the Bayfield Regional Conservancy (BRC) was instrumental in the ground-breaking formation of Frog Bay Tribal National Park, the first tribal nation park in the US, and now is excited to announce the Northern Wisconsin Sasquatch Preserve.
“We were amazed when a generous landowner came forward with this proposal,” said Conservation Director Erika Lang. “He’d been seeing Northern Redhaired Sasquatch on his land at night for years and wanted to protect them and his forested land into the future.”
Dave Phaker has been quietly providing sanctuary to Northern Sasquatch since he bought his land in a remote part of Bayfield County in 1963. “I’d put up a house in ’63 and I noticed right off some interest from the local ‘squatch residents.” For 53 years, Phaker has maintained amiable relations with the local Sasquatch. “I figured if they didn’t bother me, I wouldn’t bother them.”
Northern Redhaired Sasquatch are known for their distinctive ruddy locks. At one time, they ranged from Hudson Bay in Canada to just south of Lake Michigan. Their range and population have dwindled in the last hundred years due to deforestation and land development. Sasquatch are mainly nocturnal and are omnivorous in their feeding habits. They can cover 30 miles a day looking for food. They are generally shy and avoid human habitation.
The idea for the Preserve came to Phaker, who celebrated his 90th birthday this winter, when he started having some health issues. “I was in the hospital fer a coupla days and that got me thinking about what would happen to my big, hairy friends when I’m gone.”
Phaker never married and has no close relatives. Deciding what to do with his land has been a difficult problem to solve. Then he read about the Conservancy’s work involved in the formation of Frog Bay Tribal National Park and Lincoln Community Forest and it got him thinking about what he could do to keep his land and its residents safe.
“I got something real special on this land. It’s not just the ‘squatch I’m looking out for,” said Phaker. “I can’t be 100% sure, but I believe I saw a Lake Superior Blue Unicorn visiting two years ago down near the stream. If my property’s good enough for a unicorn and a ‘squatch community then that’s something I gotta save from being developed in the future.”
“We’ve spent quite a bit of time on Mr. Phaker’s property getting ready to protect the preserve and the signs of Sasquatch are everywhere. It’s very exciting!” said Outreach Administrator Jamey Penney-Ritter. “We’ll be stationing trail cam and an intern on the property this summer to track Sasquatch movements. After that, we can set up a trail system so both hikers and Sasquatch can enjoy this beautiful preserve.”
The BRC is currently offering North Wisconsin Sasquatch Preserve t-shirts to help fund its ongoing efforts to protect land in northwestern Wisconsin. To purchase, please go online to www.brcland.org.
Happy April Fool’s Day!
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